MS Breakthrough Offers Hope for New Treatment

British researchers have discovered that a protein-like molecule in the brain resists the spread of multiple sclerosis. The discovery, which could lead to the production of a powerful MS drug in the future, is the latest breakthrough in the search for an MS cure.

Scientists at the University of Bristol in England say that they made a breakthrough in the search for a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), detailed in a study released Aug. 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In researching the effect of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a disease similar to MS, on mice, they found that mice with high levels of galanin, a neuropeptide (small protein-like molecule) located within brain nerve cells, were “completely resistant” to the disease.

“The results were really remarkable: rarely do you see such a dramatic effect as this. Mice with high levels of galanin just didn’t develop any signs of disease,” said professor David Wraith, one of the study’s authors.

The scientists said that it will be at least 10 years before a drug using galanin would reach the market. “We have a lot more to do to figure out how this works but the results are extremely promising,” said Wraith.

MS causes the body’s immune system to turn on itself and attack myelin, the layer of insulating tissue that protects the nerve fibers surrounding the spinal cord and brain, resulting in a variety of symptoms that may include muscle weakness, blurred vision, difficulty walking, depression and paralysis.

The findingDulcinea Web Guide to Multiple Sclerosis offers links to sites that explain how MS is diagnosed, suggests ways to live with MS, and helps people connect to others who have it. There are also sites that offer support and help for caregivers.

In January, researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine announced that they had success in controlling and in some cases reversing the spread of multiple sclerosis symptoms using adult stem cells. Their findings were published in a study in The Lancet Neurology.

In the three-year study, none of the 21 adult subjects deteriorated and 81 percent improved. “This is the first time we have turned the tide on this disease,” said Dr. Richard Burt, the lead researcher.